America’s cats aren’t getting the health care they deserve. There are many reasons why cats aren’t being seen by veterinarians on a regular basis, but one of the main ones is the fact that cats are masters at hiding signs of illness. By the time a cat shows any symptoms, a disease may already be in the advanced stages, requiring more extensive, and expensive, care. Tailio could be a game changer for cats and their guardians. This innovative device can help cat guardians detect and address potential problems early.

What is Tailio?

Tailio is a smart monitoring system that consists of a pet-friendly Wi-Fi device that simply rests below the litter box, a mobile app, and intelligent analytics in the cloud that monitor your cat’s weight and elimination patterns to let you know when your cat needs care.

Tailio does not just monitor your cat’s litter. It monitors a cat’s changes in weight or elimination patterns, which can be caused by health issues, stress or emotional and environmental factors. It collects data on your cat’s weight, amount of waste, frequency of visits and behavior in the litter box. Any changes in weight or elimination patterns can be caused by a wide range of feline health issues, ranging from diarrhea, constipation and urinary tract disease to cancer, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

The data is sent to the cloud where analytics learn your cat’s individual profile and watch for trends in their weight and litter box behavior. You can even get alerts via its mobile app to let you know when something needs your attention. The data can be shared with your veterinarian.

Tailio works for multiple cat house holds because it intelligently knows who’s who in the litter box by understanding subtle differences in each cat’s individual physiology and behavior. If you have multiple litter boxes, it is recommended to have one device per box. While Tailio can still provide valuable information when using a single Tailio device in multiple litter box homes, it will only collect data for the Tailio monitored box.

Veterinarians are excited about Tailio

Tailio was developed by Alex Treiner after losing his cat Persik to cancer. The main sign of trouble in Persik’s health was a loss in body weight, so his initial invention was to place a connected scale under the litter box. Drawing on his engineering experience, he talked to vets, designers and other experts to refine and expand his initial idea.

Veterinarians are enthusiastic about this product. “The conceptual foundation of Tailio is exciting,” says Fred Scott, DVM, PhD, the founder of the Cornell Feline Health Center, “because it should allow cat owners to be made aware of many common ailments well before they take a greater toll on their cat’s well being.” “When a health issue arises, getting your cat proper medical care as soon as possible is critical to the outcome,” said Dr. Mark Goldstein, DVM and former President of the San Diego Human Society. “Tailio will not only help owners to detect early signs of health issues such as feline lower urinary tract disease, but with the new feature to find local vet services, will also help owners quickly know where to take their cat for medical care.”

However, it is important to understand that Tailio is not a substitute for regular veterinary care. While it can help cat guardians know when something appears out of the ordinary, only a veterinarian can determine the health condition and appropriate care for your cat.

I believe that of all the new tech products for cats that I’ve seen come out in the past year, this one has the greatest potential to change the lives of cats for the better. Tailio will never replace an observant guardian who is tuned in to her cat and pays attention to even subtle changes in behavior, but not even the most dedicated cat parent can keep track of everything. It sounds like Tailio can.

For more information about Tailio, please visit their Kickstarter page. Tailio is scheduled to begin shipping in April 2015.

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